'I get goosebumps when I watch him' - Mats Wilander in awe of Rafael Nadal after epic Australian Open tie-breaker
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Published 23/01/2022 at 23:12 GMT
“He's fantastic as a problem solver and as a motivating figure in my life, to be honest.” Chasing a record 21st Grand Slam, the Spaniard rolled back the years to battle his way through a lengthy first set tie-breaker in a display that impressed the Eurosport panel. Stream the 2022 Australian Open live and on demand on discovery+.
'I hope he never goes away' - Wilander heaps praise on Nadal
Mats Wilander has admitted he got "goosebumps" watching Rafael Nadal’s performance in his latest win at the Australian Open.
The 20-time Grand Slam winner beat Adrian Mannarino in straight sets to advance to the quarter-finals but had to come through a epic first set tie-break which lasted 28 minutes - one Wilander described as ‘unbelievable’.
Speaking in Eurosport’s Cube afterwards, Wilander was in awe of the sheer will to win shown by Nadal not allowing himself to lose the set, even though he would still have been expected to win the match in the end.
“It's just one set!” remarked an excited Wilander. “I mean, it's one set and if Rafa loses this set, nothing changes in his energy level, he's still going to win this match, it's just going to take an extra set and going to be four sets.
“But still, the fact that he's that emotionally involved, and when he most probably knows that in 49 matches out of 50, he's going to win the next three sets against Mannarino.
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'Extraordinary' - Nadal wins 'breathtaking' 28-minute tie-break
“And of course, he won easily, but he's unbelievable. I get goosebumps when I watch him and I hope he never goes away.
“He's fantastic as a problem solver and as a motivating figure in my life, to be honest.”
Nadal, 35, is chasing a record 21st major in Melbourne having battled back from injury and Jo Konta believes he still has all the attributes to conquer the tennis world yet again.
“In terms of his level, I think Rafa is still working his way back," Konta claimed. "But we 100% saw the great Rafa when it came to problem solving, when it came to spirit, to fight, to passion.
“I mean, that's there, that's just Rafael Nadal. And, when you put that together with his unbelievable level, that's how he's got 20 Slams, and hopefully counting.”
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Top 5 shots, Day 7 - Keys, Monfils and a Nadal stunner
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